One Missed Call
by papalogia
Summary: In a last ditch attempt to evade a relentless stalker in the wee hours of the morning, Lucy ducks into a phone booth with only enough change for one call and the intent to summon some help. Unfortunately, her finger slips and she misdials. The stranger she is connected to, however, may be of more assistance than what she had originally planned. AU.
1. Night Prowl

**A/N:** Based off a prompt I saw on tumblr. Should I keep it a one shot or expand? I'm tired. Majority wins, so...it's four in the morning, cut me a little slack. I should be sleeping because I have an appointment at the clinic tomorrow, but this happened.

* * *

Lucy had been aware of the man tailing her since she had left the bar she had been at over a half hour ago.

The blonde cursed herself as she made another false turn, speeding up as much as her black pumps would allow her to. Why oh why hadn't she taken up on Laxus's offer of an escort home? The blonde man who was her brother in all but paper would have definitely warded off any creeps, what with his six foot two, ridiculously muscular frame. But no, her stubborn streak had set in once again and was definitely going to get her into trouble if she didn't get some place crowded soon.

Lucy fiddled with her phone once again, silently praying that her last attempt at turning it on had been a fluke and the battery was still present enough for one phone call. Alas, the small rectangle remained blank, as did her face. This was bad. Very bad. Certainly, she knew self-defense, Laxus had spent years drilling it into her, but she was pleasantly sloshed. The last few drinks, one she vaguely recalled the bartender calling a 'White Russian', had been forced into her system by Bacchus and Cana, and would hamper her ability to fight properly.

Despair clawed at her chest as she wandered down streets she was unfamiliar with. She had passed known territory fifteen minutes back when she had made a left on Shumar Street. The road she now traversed was quiet and cold. The houses that lined the sidewalk were clustered and dark, no signs of life at any window. If she screamed for help, or banged at a door, she highly doubted anybody would come to assist.

She nearly squeaked as she heard the heavy footsteps get louder. Her stalker was getting close. Lucy began to run, ignoring the shooting pain in her feet in favour of putting more distance between the male and herself. Curse Cana for suggesting the blasted footwear! And the dress Bacchus had selected was doing little to help with the mobility issue-a tight, sparkly silver mini-dress that caught the light and did nothing to keep her hidden sheathed her body.

As she ducked into an alley and crouched behind a dumpster, she debated her options. She could either hide out til the morning came and call for help then, fight the man (the last option on her list, really), or...or wait til he passed and run back. She peered around the corner of the large metal container, assessing her escape routes. One way led to more residential area, and the other-

Her breath caught as she spotted a large, black framed glass box.

A telephone booth.

Adrenalin seeping through her veins, her shaky hands went for her purse. She made an effort to keep as silent as possible as she dug around for spare change. Her hands yanked out a small pile of silver coins, hopefully enough for one phone call.

She sat with bated breath as the man sped by, only pausing long enough to do a cursory glance of the alley before moving on. Lucy tip toed to the mouth of the alley, using a compact mirror to follow his movements. He made a hasty left, and she wasted no time in bolting across the street as quickly and quietly as possible.

"Oh, thank you Jesus," she breathed fervently, securing the door shut behind her. Lucy pushed in the required amount of money and lifted the receiver from the silver hook. Her trembling fingers pressed the digits to a number she had memorized long ago.

"Come on, Laxus, come on..." she bit her lip, staring out into the open. The phone rang once, twice, thrice...and finally, he picked up.

"Laxus! Oh, thank God," Lucy exhaled sharply. "Look, you-"

"Laxus?" a grouchy male's voice carried through. "The fuck is a Laxus?"

Dread filled Lucy.

She had misdialed.

"No..." she breathed. "No, no, no!"

"Listen, lady, if Tempesta put you up to this...never mind, I'm hanging up. Fucking drunks..."

"No!" Lucy nearly shrieked. "Please! Please don't hang up on me. I...please."

Silence was her response. Lucy sank to the ground, shaking with the force of her sobs. He had hung up. Her one hope had hung up. She barely had any change left, and the man could-

"...lady, you alright?" he was a little more awake now. Lucy blinked back tears as she replied, "No, I'm not. I've been followed by this guy for the past half hour, and I only had enough change to make one phone call. I was going to call my brother, but I misdialed. Please stay on the line with me."

"Yeah, sure," he was alert. Lucy could hear it. "Where are you?"

"I...I don't know. I was trying to throw him off my tail. I remember passing Shumar Street a while back, though," she offered. Awkwardly, she realized she didn't even know his name. "Er, my name is Lucy. Heartfilia. Lucy Heartfilia. I'm a psychologist."

"Jackal," he replied in an amused tone. "I'm a demolitions expert."

"Construction?" she asked, only to smack herself for sounding stupid. Of course he worked construction!

It seemed his mind ran along the same track. "No, accounting. Of course construction!"

"S-sorry, I'm just..."

"Yeah, spooked. I remember when Lamy, my sister-in-law, got tailed by this creep. She sounded pretty freaked out herself, but more so about the state of her shoes by the time she was done with the guy."

"Oh?"

"She's a geneticist. Learned some freaky stuff in pre-med," behind his voice, she heard the sound of cloth rustling. Guilt flooded her. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"

"Yeah. No big deal, I was gonna get up early, anyway. There's a building on fifty-third that needs to be blown to bits, so I need to do a preliminary," his voice jumped slightly at the end. Perhaps he was in bed and turning over. Lucy began to paint a picture in her head. He must have been fairly muscular to work construction, and tall, too. Brown hair, maybe. And green eyes. He sounded handsome.

"What time is it, anyway?"

"Uh..." his voice sounded faint as he reported, "Around three. Jesus, what's a chick like you doing wandering around at this hour?"

She twitched. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ease up, princess, I'm just saying," his voice grew louder, as if he had picked up the phone. "Psychologist, educated, pretty well off, I assume...shouldn't you be at home in bed reviewing...I dunno, case files? Or fucking your boyfriend."

Blushing at the crassness, she squeaked out, "No! No boyfriend!"

"Girlfriend?"

"No! I'm...single. I was dragged out by my friends for drinks. I just got my paper published," she couldn't help but allow a degree of pride into her voice. At twenty-three, Lucy was one of the youngest psychologists in the country to have her paper published in the reputable Fiore's Psychological Digest.

A low whistle resounded. "Nice going. What was it on?"

She heard what sounded like the muffled sound of wood meeting more wood. Maybe he was making coffee. "Pretty boring stuff. Mostly on the affect prison has on minor criminals over time."

Jackal laughed richly, and Lucy felt her stomach flutter in response. His laugh was nice, rumbling, and ignited a fire deep inside her. "Damn, maybe your stalker is one of those freaks."

When Lucy didn't reply, he spoke, unsure, "Y...you're kidding me. It..."

"Minor criminals," she whispered in horror. "They could have been released early on good behaviour!"

His breathing hastened. "What kinds of guys did you interview? What charges?"

"U-um...mostly petty theft, a few B&E, b-battery..." she trailed off. Jackal groaned. "Battery. Great. Where did you turn on Shumar?"

"Left. Then I just kept going til I hit, um...a park?"

"Oak Residential?" he panted. Lucy nodded, then realized he couldn't see her, so made an affirmative noise. "Are you...coming to get me?"

"No shit," he grumbled. "Wanna tell me what you look like? So I know?"

"Blonde, five three, I'm wearing a sparkly silver mini-dress and black pumps," she listed off the regular attributes.

"Not inconspicuous at all. Now where?"

"I...um...right! Right, till I passed a convenience store, then I went left again," Lucy's brown eyes widened as she saw a shadow loom over the opposite street corner. Jackal wasn't anywhere close to her location...that meant...

"Jackal," she whimpered, "I think he's coming back."

"Fuck!" he swore loudly. "Make yourself as small as possible and whatever you do, don't hang up. Take off your pumps. If he gets too close or gets in, bash him over the head and book it."

"I'm scared," she whispered. The shadow grew darker. The son of a bitch knew she was here. He was taunting her! Walking slowly to incite terror in her heart, to make her panic and fumble. He was succeeding, too.

"I know, Lucy," his voice was oddly soothing. "Just sit tight. I'll be there soon. I made the left, now what?"

"You'll pass Burr Street, make another left," she hissed, curling into a ball. Her hand dropped into her purse, digging around for her keys. If need be, she was not above going for the jugular. Between Natsu the lawyer and Mest the criminologist, she was covered for legal help.

"Tell me more about yourself."

"Why?"

"Keep you calm? Fuck if I know. That's what Zeref's always bitching about," Lucy jerked in surprise. "You know Zeref Dragneel?"

"...you know him?"

"Yeah! He's the older brother to my best friend, Natsu!"

"Oh, holy fuck," Jackal exclaimed. "You're Luce! Natsu never shuts up about you."

"Funny, he's never mentioned you."

"Yeah, we don't get along too well. Mard thinks it's ironic. The demolitions guy and the pyro hating each other."

"Professor Geer?" yet another surprise mutual friend. Just how many of them existed? This was getting increasingly odd. The odds of receiving help in the form of an unknown friend via mutual friend was...astronomical.

"I'll be damned. Don't tell me you know Tempesta, next."

"Nope, in the clear on that one," she smiled gently. Jackal laughed again. "Good! Here I was thinking I was saving you from your stalker, not gaining one!"

"Haha," Lucy laughed dryly.

"Speaking of, what's the status? Left or right on the left?"

"Right. You'll enter a street of dark houses. Just keep going straight after that. I'm in a black telephone booth. And..." her eyes flicked over, and terror seized her heart. The man stood, staring at her with a sick grin on his face. "H...he sees me. He's...smiling..."

"Okay, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuckity-fuck," Jackal sang. "Keep watching. So...what's your favourite song?"

"Really?" Lucy asked hysterically. Was now the time? The man was mad. Absolutely mad.

"Humour me!" he whined. "Distract yourself a little."

"Fine. 'Hot Blooded' by Foreigner," the man across the street made his slow way over, one step at a time. Dragging it out. "He's walking over."

"I'll be there in five, I swear. Anyway, that's my favourite, too," she could almost hear the grin in his voice. "Got a fever of one hundred at three!"

"I would certainly hope not," Lucy joked weakly. "And we are civilized people, use Celsius!"

"What's the conversion rate, then?" Lucy could hear him breathing heavily, and his words jumped, as if he was running quickly. The man was halfway across the street now. Lucy's hand fell discretely to her pumps, and she began undoing the silver buckles. "Um...half, I think? No, that doesn't make sense...a third, maybe?"

"Whatever. We'll search it later," the way he said 'we' calmed her a little. It meant he really was coming to help her. That she would be safe.

"Yeah. How old are you?"

Jackal replied slowly, surprise in his voice, "Twenty-six. You?" Lucy had startled herself with the question, not knowing why it was pertinent. Perhaps she was stalling, trying to keep this a normal conversation. "Three. Twenty three, I mean."

"Young."

"Only by..." her voice caught in her throat as the man finally stopped on her side of the sidewalk.

"Lucy?" Jackal asked faintly. Lucy swallowed thickly. "He's here..."

Her hand dropped the phone, where Jackal could be heard yelling at her, and felt around for her shoes. Lucy stared at the male defiantly as he opened the door. She would not show fear. Instead, she would stall. She could do that.

"Why me?"

"You're my type. And that dress...that makeup...those little glances you kept giving me. And the thrill of the chase! You little tease," Lucy felt her stomach roil but held it in. Her mind slowly began building a profile for him, and she squashed that. This was no time to analyze his past and behaviour. Now, she had to analyze his body. Wendy had always said that if the groin was unavailable, the next best thing was to hit the xiphoid bone and hopefully rip up his diaphragm. Where that one was, was a mystery.

"I was running away, if that wasn't clear," she silently applauded herself for keeping her voice stable. His mouth twisted into a sneer, and he stalked forward. Instinct took over and Lucy raised her foot, ramming him clean in the middle of his chest. She felt something crack, and he doubled over in pain. Anger filled his eyes as he wheezed out, "You're gonna regret that, bitch-!"

"Not as much as you will," another voice, so familiar to Lucy that she nearly wept, came from nearby. A fist lashed out, connecting squarely with the back of the stalker's head. "No fair," Jackal pouted. "You had all the fun incapacipitating him!"

"Incapacitating," Lucy corrected in a whisper. "You mean...incapacitating."

Jackal was not like what she had imagined. Tall and buff, certainly, but the rest? His blonde hair was swept to one side, covering one of his eyes and curling lightly at the end. As for his visible eye...it was a soft golden, unlike anything she had ever seen. He wore a leather jacket over a black shirt, and baggy cargo pants that were clearly worn. Bulky black combat shoes went up to his knees.

"Whatever," he shrugged off the coat, leaving him in a black tank top. He handed the material over to her, pulling out a zip-tie and marker. "Here. It's kinda cold."

When he was sure she had donned the coat, he knelt down and rolled him over roughly, tying his hands together. Lucy discreetly inhaled the collar of the jacket. Smoke, something metallic, and gasoline. It was surprisingly delicious.

"There we go," the blond grinned at his work. Across the stalker's forehead, in bold black letters, were the words, 'I AM A CREEPY PERV! CALL ME IN :)'

"Oh!" he wheeled around, extending his hand. "Sup? I'm Jackal."

"Lucy," she shook his hand tightly. "Thank you. So much. I don't know-"

"Small talk later, princess, you definitely came to the fucked up part of town. Come back to my place and we can talk," he offered. "Only if you want to. I can call your brother or whatever. My phone is charged."

"Your place," she responded immediately. Blushing, she backtracked, "Laxus is probably at home, he has work early. Don't want to worry him."

"Alright," Jackal tugged on her hand and led her up the road. "It's shorter this way."

Lucy glanced back. "Is it safe to leave him there?"

Jackal raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "He tried to assault you and you're worried he won't be safe?"

"Human nature!" she protested. Jackal snorted. "Would demand his blood, not safety. You're an odd one, princess."

At her pout, he shot her a toothy grin, "It's kind of funny. I like it."

She hid her red face in the collar of his jacket. "S-shut up!"

His fingers only squeezed hers in response as he began rattling off all the odd stores he had passed on his way to her.

Lucy had an inkling her life was about to get a lot more interesting.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm tired. Blegh. So, expand or leave alone?

-Touko


	2. Sinkhole

**A/N:** C-can somebody explain how this...4 AM drabble managed to snag nearly 38 reviews in less than 24 hours?! What the fuck! This is amazing, and scary, and I love you guys. I'm actually kind of NERVOUS continuing this, I'm not sure I met up to your standards this time...

This is what I like to call an exposition chapter. Extremely boring, but necessary to introduce plot and the like. So if it seems bland, please keep in mind that it will pick up pace in chapter three!

* * *

Jackal's apartment was small and messy, as most bachelor pads were, but it was comfortable.

"Make yourself at home, I guess. I'll be back in a minute," he waved at the sofa squished in the corner, before disappearing into his bedroom. Lucy slowly made her way over, taking the time to look around. Her inner psychologist raged to analyze every aspect of his life, but she squashed the urge down. Instead, she stared intently at the small frames on the side table with the sole purpose of sating her curiousity.

One picture depicted a tall man with fairly dark skin and shocking blonde hair screaming at Jackal, who was grinning stupidly, one hand clutching an Erlenmeyer flask. In the background, the smoldering remains of a lab lay in ruins. She snorted softly. Figured his love for explosions would have started in a chemistry lab.

"That was in the eleventh grade," Lucy jumped at the voice so close to her ear. Jackal had a shit-eating smile on his face as he tapped the glass. "I was only supposed to turn on the bunsen burner for five minutes. I figured an extra ten wouldn't matter and...well, that happened."

"Always had a fondness for blowing things up, huh?" she asked cheekily. Jackal shrugged. "I guess. Man, you should have seen Tempesta's face when the lab went up in flames, I thought he was gonna have a coronary!"

Lucy giggled at the cheery expression on his face. She was no stranger to people with odd senses of humour-it came with the job. She had been witness (and victim) to Natsu's many explosive tendencies long enough to know that it was a (mostly) harmless hobby for him, and she was certain it was much the same for Jackal. The blond in question held out a bundle of cloth to her and said, "Sorry, Kyouka's stuff was the closest I could get in your size."

"Thanks!" She took the clothes and glanced around, looking for a bathroom. Jackal pointed down a small hallway. "Right at the end. Towels are on a rack if you wanna wash up or something, Lamy's always saying you're not supposed to leave makeup on overnight for some reason."

"Clogs up pores," Lucy said, making her way to the indicated door. "I'll be right out."

"Yeah, sure. Pores...?" Jackal's confused voice trailed off as she shut the door.

A sniff to her pits solidified her decision to take a shower. Placing the clothes in a neat pile on the toilet seat, Lucy stripped down and stepped into the tub, drawing the curtains. Turning the knob to scalding, she squeaked when cold water pelted down on her instead. He had probably used up all the hot water himself earlier.

This would definitely be a quick affair.

* * *

"Jackal," Lucy shuffled into the living room slowly. She hadn't noticed it earlier, but with the adrenaline fading, the blisters on her feet were starting to become extremely painful. That, combined with what she was certain was a sprained ankle from the kick she had executed, necessitated some first-aid. "Do you have bandages and some ibuprofen?"

"Yeah, hang on," he exited the kitchen, now dressed in a maroon sweater and matching sweatpants, carrying two steaming mugs. He handed one to Lucy, placing his on the table, and made his way to the bathroom. The blonde sat back on the sofa, regretting the swift action as she sunk down into the cushions deeply. Hot tea sloshed out of the cup and onto her hand and turtleneck, and she hissed as her nerves flared up to protest the burn.

"Ah, shit, I forgot to tell you about Sinkhole, sorry," Jackal had the grace to look sheepish as he turned the corner.

"Sinkhole?"

"It's what we call that demon sofa," he perched on the edge of the table before her. "Put 'em up."

"Thanks. I can do it myself," Jackal shook his head. "Nuh uh. You finish that. Natsu would ram my C4 up my ass if I let you do it yourself."

Lucy complied, placing her feet on his lap and sipping the tea. She kept a carefully blank face as the extremely bitter liquid passed through her mouth, focusing on the way he dabbed at the blisters with a cotton. "You sound scared of him."

Jackal snorted, "Scared, my ass. He's a lawyer, he can hide my body and get away with it."

"And you can just stick his body in a building and blow it to bits, nobody would ever know," she countered. Jackal raised a thin eyebrow, pausing in his ministrations. "Have you ever seen those cop dramas on TV? They'd get a forensic anthropologist or something and use his bones to find out I did it."

"You've put a lot of thought into this," Lucy placed her empty mug to the side, leaning her head on her propped up hand. Jackal was now wrapping her feet in gauze in a smooth manner. It was evident to her he had done this before. Perhaps he had to wrap up his own workplace injuries, he seemed the type to get into scuffles.

"Yup. What's that tell you, Miss Psychologist?" He furrowed his brows. "Wait, do I call you Dr. Heartfilia? Or is that psychiatrists?"

"Professionally, it is doctor, but Lucy is fine," she smiled brightly as he handed her two white pills of painkillers. "And it tells me nothing. I'm not analyzing you for anything."

That was a blatant lie. She analyzed everybody, and Jackal was proving to be a favoured new subject. Still, she didn't want to trigger the observer effect, so she kept silent on the matter. It was a harmless pastime for her, so she doubted he would ever need to know.

"Not even subconsciously?" he asked. His rough hands tugged a tight brace of some sort up her swollen ankle. Lucy made a noise of agreement as she stretched back. Either those pills were fast acting, or the night's events had worn her out more than she thought possible. Catching the exhaustion in her eyes, Jackal said, "Lights out, princess. You can take my bed, I need to head out soon, anyway."

"Thanks," she mumbled. "For everything."

Jackal rolled his golden eyes. "Whatever. Come on."

* * *

Lucy groaned as light hit her face, shining though her squeezed shut lids in a manner she couldn't ignore. Stupid Natsu had probably opened her blinds again to annoy her. Burrowing her face into her pillow, she registered the scent of smoke and gasoline. Definitely not the ocean breeze her sheets smelt of.

Bolting up, she placed a hand to her heart as her little adventure flooded back to her mind. Right. She was at Jackal's place. Sighing softly, she swung her feet off the bed, wincing as the blisters chafed uncomfortably. A piece of paper on the desk caught her attention.

 _Princess. Your phone's charging (funny, we got the same model), and I left some stuff in the fridge you can heat up. The microwave's a little bitch, so you gotta stop it every twenty seconds or it'll start smoking. The TV works, just don't touch my recordings. I'll be back by 4, drop you back to your place then. This area ain't the best even in the daylight._

Lucy's hand found the little rectangular mobile device, disconnecting it from the white cord. After plugging in her password, she felt something akin to horror flood her stomach as she saw all the notifications. 57 missed calls from Laxus, 35 from Cana, 83 from Natsu, 24 from Gray, 19 from Erza, a whopping 126 from Erik, 42 from Sting, 12 from Rogue (who was probably with Sting), 28 from Levy, 15 from Gajeel, and 10 from Mirajane. This was not to count in the texts she had received. She tapped the little message icon, reading the last sent text from each person.

 _ **From: Circuit Breaker**_

 _That's it, I'm fucking calling the cops._

 _ **From: Booze**_

 _BITCH YOU ARE DEAD WHEN I GET TO YOU_

 _ **From: Fireworks**_

 _LUCY PLEASE DON'T BE DEAD PICK UP COME ON PLEASE?!_

 _ **From: Exhibitionist**_

 _Lucy, I s2g pick up_

 _ **From: Erza**_

 _Lucy. It has come to my attention that you are not answering your phone. You have until precisely 12 PM to respond before I take drastic action. If her kidnapper is reading this, we will find you, and we will kill you._

 _ **From: Ophid**_

 _LUCY THAT'S IT I'M COMING TO FIND YOU AND AFTER THIS YOU AREN'T GOING OUT OF MY SIGHT DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME_

 _ **From: Bee**_

 _LUCY IT'S STING AND ROGUE ARE YOU OKAY PICK UP COME ON I THINK LAXUS IS GONNA CRY THIS IS GETTING UGLY MAN_

 _ **From: Levy-chan**_

 _LU-CHAN PICK UP PICK UP PICK UP WE'RE ORGANIZING A SEARCH PARTY_

 _ **From: Pincushion**_

 _If ur her kidnapper I s2g I will fuckin end you bitch_

 _ **From: Mira-chan**_

 _I'm coming to find you, I've contacted the club, they've sent security footage!_

Cursing, Lucy glanced at the time. 3:30. She deliberated who to call for a moment, deciding contacting Erza would probably be the safest option. She had said drastic action, and, knowing Erza, drastic action was ten times what was considered 'drastic'.

The phone rang only once before it was picked up, and Erza's stern voice filtered through. _"If this is a kidnapper demanding ransom, let it be known that everybody present is belted and-"_

"Erza! It's me, I'm fine!" Lucy made her way out of the room, drawing the phone away from her ear as several screeches resounded.

 _"I'm putting this on speaker,"_ a clicking noise later, and suddenly at least ten people were shouting at once. _"Silence! One at a time! Me first. Where are you?"_

"Um...I don't know the address, but I'm safe," Lucy opened the fridge, spying a small container of pasta. Shrugging, she popped it in the microwave.

 _"What do you mean?"_

"I mean-oh shit, shit, shit, no," Lucy squeaked as the stench of smoke hit her sinuses. She pressed the end button on the microwave, pulling out the still cold pasta. Figuring it was better than risking a fire, she moved to the living room, sitting down-slowly, this time-and turning on the TV.

 _"Are you alright?"_

"Yeah, the microwave started smoking. Anyway, I mean...I'm a friends house," while they had known each other barely 24 hours, Lucy figured him saving her from a grisly assault was a pretty solid basis for a friendship.

 _"Why the fuck didn't you pick up the phone, Lucy?"_ there was Laxus's enraged voice. _"Do you have any idea how worried we were?"_

 _"You especially, man, I saw tear-OW! Dammit, Rogue-!"_

"My phone died," she replied absently, turning to the local news channel.

 _"Shit, sorry, man, should've let you charge up at home,"_ Cana's guilty voice said. Lucy made loud noises of disagreement as she swallowed the pasta. "Don't blame yourself, it's fine."

 _"Luce, you said smoking microwave?"_ Natsu's suspicious tone interrupted Cana as she began to speak.

"Yeah, every twenty secon-"

 _"You're at Jackal's place?!"_

"How did you know?" Lucy jerked back in surprise. Her friends began talking one over the other again, causing her to wince at the decibel reached. They could give both a group of twelve year old girls _and_ the opera a run for their money.

 _"Jackal?! What the fuck, Lucy?"_

 _"Why that miscreant's house?"_

 _"Did he kidnap you?"_

 _"Did he hurt you?"_

"You guys, calm down. Jackal saved my life last night," a bit of an exaggeration, but one large enough to shut everybody up. On the TV, the anchor blandly reported that a man had been found by a telephone booth with a fractured sternum, and Lucy whistled lowly. "Damn, here I thought I broke it."

 _"You broke something?"_ Erik's voice was panicked, an odd sound from the normally sarcastic and snarky man. _"Fuck It, I'm coming there with Wendy-"_

"No, Jesus, Erik, I thought I broke the other guy's sternum. I only fractured It," the sound of glass shattering was her response.

 _"Bunny, why'd you have to break a guy's sternum?"_ Gajeel asked. Lucy gulped. She could either break the news now, or wait till she met up with them in a half hour or so. But if she did that, then Erik and Laxus would find a way to handcuff her to them both on the spot. Doing it now meant they would have time to simmer down.

"When I left the bar last night this guy followed me-"

 _"Oh my God, Lu-chan!"_ Levy shrieked.

"So I got lost trying to shake him off. I ducked into a telephone booth and accidentally called Jackal instead of Laxus. He came to get me, but the creep caught up sooner, so I kicked him in the chest like Laxus taught me. Jackal caught up and KO'd him, tied him up, and took me back to his place, that's it!"

 _"Gray, turn on channel 8!"_ Mirajane demanded. She heard a muffled affirmation, and then the overlapping sound of the same reporter on her screen.

 _"Son of a bitch,"_ Sting swore loudly. _"Ain't that the same guy we interviewed a few months back for your paper, Luce?"_

"Is it?" It appeared Jackal had been right in that regard, then.

 _"It appears so,"_ Rogue's calm voice answered.

 _"I'm writin' up a list of charges right now, Luce, this fucker ain't gettin' away!"_ Lucy snorted lightly. Leave it up to Natsu to seek immediate revenge. Natsu from _university_ may have opted to break into jail to beat the guy bloody, but Natsu the _lawyer_ knew that vengeance in the form of a rap sheet was far more lasting. Her best friend was far, far more intelligent than people gave him credit for.

 _"How much can you place on him?"_ Erza snapped. Lucy rolled her eyes, wiggling her toes. Movement was a little easier for her sprained foot. The progress would be reverted the moment she put on her pumps to return home, however, so she sighed and enjoyed the small reprieve from the pain.

 _"Fuckin' leave it up to me, I'll have a list of charges as long as his coffin,"_ Natsu promised. Lucy was certain he would unearth some outdated, but still valid, charge that would drive the nail in deeper.

"Honey, I'm home and-ah, fuck, the microwave fucked up again, didn't it?" Jackal groused, stroming into the kitchen. "Shitfuckdamn, why me?"

"Sorry!" Lucy called, covering the mouth of her phone. "I tried to stop it, but Natsu-"

"He's on the other line?" Jackal exclaimed, sweeping over and swiping her phone. "What's up, you flaming fucker?"

Lucy snatched the phone and hit speaker, just catching the end of Natsu's response, "... _shove a fucking detonator down your throat if you did!"_

"Play nice, Natsu," Lucy warned.

 _"Jackal, when do you intend to escort Lucy back? Or would you prefer to have one of us retrieve her?"_

"We'll be over as soon as we finish this one episode of Bones," he grinned, "So hasta la bye-byes for now!"

He hung up, shoving the device between two pillows and turning to the shell shocked blonde. Lucy sputtered incoherently for a moment, finally spitting out, "Bones?"

"I did tell you they could use bones to find killers," he nodded sagely, "So I'll show you how!"

* * *

"Subtract 32, multiply by five, and divide by nine," Jackal stated suddenly as they drove back to Lucy's place.

"Huh?"

"Fahrenheit to Celsius, that's how you convert. Remember last night, you said we'd find the conversion rate? I asked a guy at the building, that's how," Lucy dug through her purse, pulling out her phone and typing in the numbers. "So...103 degrees Fahrenheit is equal to 39.4 degrees Celsius."

"I got a fever of 39.4," Jackal sang, bursting into laughter at the end. "That doesn't roll well at all."

"Then I guess just this once we can be weirdos and use that scale," Lucy sighed dramatically. Jackal snorted, but continued humming under his breath.

"You've got a pretty good voice, you know that?" Lucy complimented. She wasn't lying. Jackal had a pleasant voice, suited for rock concerts and rapping, and his humming was just as good. He had a deep tenor that made her insides squirm.

"I get told that often," he said arrogantly. Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Modest, I see."

"I don't get why people downplay their talents, like fuck that. You gotta, you know, be proud of yourself and shit. Don't down yourself so others can up you, _that's_ being cocky," Lucy was taken aback by the surprisingly wise words from the man, who ignored her shocked look in favour of continuing, "Like, I'm fucking proud that I put this sucker together with my own hands, and I'm gonna fucking boast about it. This shit takes talent, you know?"

Lucy glanced around the car she was in. The old Chevy C/K seemed to be from the 90's, and spoke of many repairs. The leather seats were nicely worn in, however, and comfy. For Jackal to have put it together himself, restore it, was impressive. He was the hands-on type, then. The kind of person who didn't like accepting help from others-he would do things on his own, either teaching himself beforehand or learning as he made his way along. Stubborn, definitely, and cocky, but well within reason.

"I'm impressed. My car's been sitting in the garage for a while, I've been meaning to fix it, but I can't seem to find a 'For Dummies' text that specific," she baited. She could certainly afford a mechanic, or have Gajeel look at it, but she wanted to see Jackal's response.

"I could take a look, if you want," he offered. Lucy's eyes lit up.

Bingo.

He was definitely the type of person who was eager to please, and would grasp at most opportunities to display his skills. Lucy had no doubt if she asked for assistance with her plumbing, he would take control of the issue. He was almost exactly like Natsu in that regard. Natsu, who had sacrificed a lucrative future in mechanical engineering to become a lawyer when he saw nobody would defend those wrongly accused, like Erik way back when.

"That would be great, thanks. What works for you?"

"This Saturday good? I'm blowing up that building tomorrow," Jackal said, a degree of excitement clear in his voice. Lucy smiled fondly. She loved seeing people get excited about their jobs. She loved hearing their voices raise in pitch as they raved about their work and all it entailed. It was so rare she saw that in her line of work.

"Yeah, my schedule is clear that day. What building? You mentioned it yesterday."

Jackal made a turn on Pine Road, and Lucy approximated that they had 10 minutes till they reached her place. "On fifty-third. You know the old library there?"

"The one that shut down, like, ten years ago? Yeah, I used to go there all the time! That sucks, I really liked that place..." Lucy pouted. She fondly remembered borrowing out the classic literature section and forcing herself to finish all the texts before the month ended. Laxus had called her crazy, but the look on his face when she had met her goal had been priceless.

"If you're down for it..." Jackal said slowly, "We can sneak around a couple hours before it blows. You'd have to be with me, of course, but..."

"Actually?" Lucy squealed, "Oh, thank you so much!"

The buxom blonde leaned over and gave the man a tight hug, to which he squawked in protest, pushing her off. "I'm driving, you psycho!"

"Sorry, I'm just really happy! What time?" Lucy straightened herself, flashing him a bright smile. Jackal stuck his tongue between his lips as he sighed heavily in contemplation. "Building goes boom at 5...so three. An hour okay for you to lurk? Cause I need an hours prep time to built the circuitry."

"Yeah, sure!" Lucy nodded quickly, as if he would rescind the offer if she didn't. "So it's a date."

Jackal stomped on the brakes just as they came to a red light, staring at her with wide eyes. "D-date?"

"Yeah, you know. Date. Sorry, was that too...couply? Cause it's a date between friends, you know."

"No! Yeah, friend date. Got that. But, like...what kind of shitty date is that?" he joked weakly as he moved forth, turning into Strawberry Street.

"I've been on worse," Lucy commented dryly. She pointed to a large apartment complex at the end of the street. "That one."

"Nice place," Jackal observed, slowing to a stop between the lInes that made up the parking lot. "Wonder how much plastic it would take to demolish it..."

"Bad thoughts," Lucy exited the car, mouthing a curse as pressure was applied to her still sore feet. She had kept her shoes off in the car, but the flesh was as tender as ever. "My landlady will kill you for voicing them."

"Scary woman," Jackal waited patiently for her to round the car, walking sedate to the entrance. "Looks like you've got a search party waiting for you at the lobby."

Sure enough, her friends and family stood anxiously by the glass window. Laxus broke free of the group, clearing the distance in three quick strides and sweeping Lucy into his bulky arms. The petite blonde reciprocated eagerly, burrowing her face into his suit jacket. "Fucking hell, Lucy, you scared the shit out of me."

"And me," Erik's deep baritone was close to her ear, and she felt him embrace her from behind, tucking her head under his chin. "You're not leaving the house till you're fifty."

Lucy pulled back long enough to shoot him a scowl. "I have patients."

"Fuck them," was his reply.

"Wait, so you were attacked?" Laxus held her by the shoulders as he peered into her eyes. She could see the raging fury in his stormy blue eyes at the very thought of her being harmed. She treaded carefully as she responded, "Yes and no. I was followed-"

His grip on her tightened.

"And Jackal saved me before the situation got out of hand," she gave the man in question a grateful smile, and he shifted uncomfortably. Interesting. He was content to praise himself, but the moment he was given thanks or commended without provocation he became edgy. Lucy filed that away in the mental folder she had built for him.

"Thanks, man," Natsu said gruffly, extending his hand. "For helping her. Luce can handle herself, but-"

"She had the situation under control," Jackal muttered, shifting the praise to her. "Fractured his sternum before I got there."

"And sprained her ankle in the process," Rogue noted, crouching by her feet. He stared at the wrappings appraisingly. "You've done a rather remarkable job of dressing the injuries sustained to her feet."

Jackal merely nodded in response.

"Oh, Lucy, you must be terribly exhausted," Levy worried, hovering at her side. "Come on, I need to call Wendy..."

"Already done," Gajeel said. "Mest is bringing her over now."

"Great," Jackal exhaled sharply, shooting gun fingers at Lucy. "So...two thirty tomorrow? It's a half hour drive from here."

"Yeah," Lucy smiled brightly, shuffling over and embracing him tightly. His hands hovered awkwardly, and he settled for a pat on the back. Another interesting tidbit. He seemed the boisterous, confident kind, yet he shied away from contact like it was the plague unless he initiated it.

"It's a date," Lucy added on purpose. She was curious to see his reaction to her friends outrage. His reaction would only add something new to study.

"Date?!" Mira's eyes sparkled dangerously as she clasped her hands beneath her chin. Lucy cursed herself. Mira would now be insatiable, demanding a transcript of the nights events, along with a family phenotype history so she could plot their offspring.

"Oh, fuck no," came Laxus and Natsu's chorus. Erik eyed Jackal with a cold glint in his one eye, and Gray sputtered in his surprise.

"Oh, fuck yes," Jackal sneered. "A date. With her. Which you can't stop."

Lucy cocked her eyebrow as the boys argued. He had gone from vaguely uncomfortable to cocky and sharp in under a minute, all at the moment he had been opposed. It stood to reason, then, that he would butt heads with anybody simply for the sake of butting heads.

"Alright!" Lucy announced loudly, clapping her hands. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jackal."

"And on Saturday," he threw in, waving as he turned around. "Ciao, princess!"

Lucy continued to wave as he wheeled out of the parking lot, and braced herself before turning around to face the sharks she had let loose.

"Date?" Laxus thundered.

Lucy chuckled nervously.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, I introduced several plot points that will be pertinent in the future: Lucy's mental folders, Natsu the lawyer, Erik and the shady past, Jackal and his behaviours. These four are my main...points of interest, if you will.

Review?

-Touko


	3. Ouroboros

**A/N:** YOU GUYS ARE HONESTLY THE BEST, THE ATTENTION THIS FIC IS GETTING IS MIND BOGGLING. I hope I lived up to your expectations this time!

* * *

A sigh escaped Jackal's lips as he stared blankly at the empty prescription bottle held above his head.

He shook the orange cylinder idly as he wondered when he had last taken one of the little white pills of Ambien. The prescription label was a blur to his exhausted eyes. Everything was a blur, really. He supposed that meant it had been a while since his last dosage. Bringing the bottle closer, he saw the purchase date as two months ago, meaning...

It had been a month since he had slept properly. A month since he had taken his insomnia medication. A month of tossing and turning and waking up every hour for days on end before eventually crashing.

A flick of his wrist and the bottle hit the opposite wall with a gentle clatter, falling into the pile of clothes he had stuffed behind the desk in his haste to spruce up his room a bit before Lucy took her nap.

Lucy...

He wondered how the blonde would react if she knew of his situation. If she knew that her call the other night had disturbed his crash day. She would probably tear herself to pieces with the guilt before turning on him and berating him for not taking care of himself.

He stared at the small digital clock on his bedside. Four-fifteen AM. Another forty-five minutes before waking up would be socially acceptable.

He sighed again and closed his eyes in hopes of maybe power napping long enough to rejuvenate himself for his date.

He almost smiled.

* * *

"What the fuck are you wearing?" Cana demanded as she pushed past Lucy into the living room. Her on-again, off-again boyfriend of five years, Bacchus Groh, followed in suit, winking at the blonde.

"Clothes, Cana," Lucy deadpanned, shutting the door and trudging after her brunette best friend. Cana tutted, raising a perfectly tweezed eyebrow and sweeping her scrutinizing violet gaze over her body. "You're going on a date looking like that?"

"It's not a date, you idiot!" Lucy snapped, patting her outfit self-consciously. Truth be told, she had spent hours in front of her closet pulling out every outfit she had and trying them on, much like she would before a date. She didn't want to appear too eager, but she didn't want to appear shoddy, either. Something in Jackal encited both the friendly outing and casual date feelings in her, leaving her a ball of confusion. Eventually, she had settled on an airy blue blouse and black slacks. Cute, but totally normal.

"He offered to let you explore an old favourite haunt of yours before he blew it up, it's a date," Bacchus inputted from her sofa, where he was rifling through the pile of books in her bag. "The fuck is a...serotonin reuptake inhibitor?"

"It's what's used in antidepressants, that's an article about the-never mind. Why do you think it's a date because of that?" Lucy asked.

"When I found out Cana was a booze whore like me, I took her to my family's moonshine distillery. That's how we started dating," sometimes, it was easy to forget that the perverted alcoholic on her sofa was actually the incredibly intelligent corporate heir to Groh Distilleries, the largest producer of various kinds of alcohol in the world.

"This is just a friendly outing," Lucy protested.

"The last time I had a 'friendly outing', I ended up having sex with Rogue Cheney, so..." Bacchus shot his girlfriend a surprised look. "Isn't he gay?"

"Bisexual," Cana replied. "Just like his boyfriend."

"I called Sting being bi a long time ago, time to collect..."

"Down," Cana said sternly, turning her attention back to Lucy, who had begun to shuffle herself towards the door in hopes of escaping. "Your room. Now."

Lucy's room resembled the after picture of a tornado sweeping through town. Her entire closet had been dumped on her bed in a pile nearly as tall as herself. Bacchus whistled low, eyeing the maze of shoes on the floor. "Goddamn, sugartits, you went wild here!"

"This is cute," Cana produced Lucy's 'little black dress' from the pile. "Pair these with the fuck me pumps, and we're good."

"Babe, no offense, but she ain't out for a night of clubbing that ends in an orgy," Bacchus flopped on her bed, scrambling to steady the wobbly pile beside him before it fell to the floor. Lucy groaned. "No offense, but the last time you two dressed me, I ended up getting stalked across town."

"Which led you to the hot individual you're about to go on a date with, so logic dictates that we dress you again for good luck," Cana said cheerily.

"That is so stupid that it actually makes sense," Lucy blinked, dropping to sit cross-legged on the floor. "Go nuts, but remember, you only have a half hour before he gets here."

Cana snorted. "I need half that."

* * *

"You wore shoes this time," Jackal grinned. "I see you learned your lesson with the demon pumps."

"I'm getting those things burned," Lucy swore. She approached his truck, opening his door and sliding into the worn seat. She buckled up, pretending to ignore the way his golden eyes gave her a once over. "Jeans suit you."

"Cana wanted to stick me in a dress, but..." Lucy waved over herself. Her new outfit consisted of stonewashed jeans and an airy black tank top. Casual, but could pass for a date outfit if need be.

"Not the best idea," Jackal shifted to drive and exited the parking lot, turning on the radio as he did so.

"That's what I said..." Lucy hummed. She discretely gave her new friend a glance. He wore baggy black pants and a beige shirt that emphasized his muscles. Curiousity ignited in her chest when she caught sight of a tattoo on his shoulder. She could just make out the bottom half of it, where she saw what could have passed for a serpents belly.

"That's an interesting tattoo," she commented. Jackal lifted his hand off the wheel briefly to roll up his sleeve. Lucy gasped. The ouroboros was done in black, but the detail was astounding. Her fingers tentatively reached out, brushing it. The scales were so lifelike and seemed to ripple under her touch. The only colour on it was the eye; magnificent and ruby red, it glared at her with its slitted pupil.

"It's beautiful," she breathed.

"Cost me a small fortune, too," he snorted. "The things you do when you're drunk off your mind in first year..."

"The first thing you thought to get tattooed whilst inebriated was an ouroboros?" Lucy asked incredulously. When she had gotten drunk in Crocus and ventured into a tattoo parlour, she had ended up with a rather unspeakably grotesque dragon on her back. She had yet to find a tattoo removal specialist within her budget to help with the issue.

"Not my idea, actually. It was Mard. The uptight bastard is obsessed with symbolism, so he took the both of us and we got inked at his suggestion," Lucy burst into peals of laughter. "You mean to tell me that our prim and proper Professor Mard Geer has a tattoo lurking on his person?"

"Yeah! Here," Jackal pointed to the cup holder between them, "Grab my phone, password is dynamite, and hit up the gallery. The folders name is 'Crocus'."

Surprised and oddly honoured by his trust in her, Lucy did as instructed while mulling over this new tidbit. Either Jackal was one to trust easily, which she highly doubted, or, more likely, he had good instincts. High praise for herself, she knew, but the most reasonable conclusion. Tapping the little picture icon, Lucy's jaw dropped at the exquisite pictures before her.

Jackal's ouroboros she had seen, but when surrounded by the harsh red of tender skin, it stood out even more viciously. Mard's took up the entire expanse of his upper back, and had Lucy gaping. Bold shades of red, orange, and gold swirled as they formed a flaming phoenix, its spread wings covering his shoulders, and a trailing tail of fire sweeping down his spine.

"This is...magnificent," Lucy breathed. To think that the cold and frankly caustic male she had somehow become decent friends with had such a drawing on his back...

"Right? Man, you should've seen him when he got his piercings..." Jackal laughed. "Oh, we made him wear such gaudy jewelry over his eyebrow!"

"You know, it's curious that Mard chose an ouroboros and a phoenix," Lucy mused. Already, her mind was whirring back to her days in university. She had written a paper on ancient symbolism and meanings they held as pertaining to psychology in her first year, and these two were of a particular interest to her.

"Oh? Do tell. I always figured he just wanted me to suffer his Greek mythology unit with him on a permanent level."

"Well, they both have essentially the same meaning. Rebirth, renewal, the cycle of life...but your little tattoo is little bit more special," seeing that she had caught his attention, Lucy plowed on. "Carl Jung is perhaps one of the most well known psychologists, second only to Freud, and he figured that the ouroboros held archetypal significance into the human psyche. He related it to alchemy, saying that it acted at the prima materia that hovered in our unconscious. It was the sort of...representative of how we seemed to rise from the ashes and adapted so quickly."

"Well shit," Jackal blinked. "That's pretty fucking badass. Rebirth and renewal, huh...?"

Lucy observed him as he took in the new information. He seemed contemplative, as if this was the final piece to some long, unsolved puzzle that only served to confound him more. Was it because he didn't believe in the concept of him being able to metaphorically rise from the ashes and start anew, or because he already had?

"Any ink on you?" he asked conversationally. Lucy blushed deeply. "Same story as you, except Natsu wasn't as wise as Mard. I've yet to find a removal specialist in my price range."

"Got a picture?" Lucy dug around in her pocket, pulling out her phone and angling the screen at him. Jackal took one look at the picture and nearly swerved into the next lane he was shaking with laughter so hard. Waving at the car behind them in apology, he turned on her. "Oh, for the love of all that's holy, tell me he got one just as bad!"

"A very demented dragon to match," Lucy smiled proudly.

"You know...it's salvageable," Jackal tilted his head as he made a left. "We should head up to Crocus sometime and I can introduce you to the guy who did mine. We can see if he can do anything about that mess."

"I'd like that," Lucy smiled at him. She supposed this was another thing to add to her ever growing list of his quirks. He was eager to help those he seemed to like.

"Here we are," Jackal parked, glancing around quickly. "Okay, so we gotta get in quick. I'm technically not supposed to let you in..."

"Is this illegal?"

"...kind of?" Jackal answered nervously. At her horrified look, he quickly corrected, "Well, it's not...too illegal. I think."

"Oh God, I can't go to jail again!" Lucy groaned, stepping out of the car and shuffling forward to the entrance.

"Again?" Jackal called in surprise. "You've been booked?"

"It was overnight back in second year, Natsu 'accidentally' set fire to a house party and...ugh."

"I remember that!" Jackal exclaimed. "That was...shit, what was his name? Freaky looking blond guy, red eyes..."

"Zancrow. Natsu's cousin," Lucy supplied. "He's a pharmacologist, now."

"That psycho crazy raver became a pharmacologist? Wow. I remember when he used to get drunk and make out with Sayla during those things..."

"How do you know him? You're three years older than us."

"He entered university with us and switched majors about five times, hence why he graduated with you," Jackal finally unlocked the doors to the library and pushed in, waving at the entrance in a mocking sweeping gesture. "After you."

"Why thank you, good sir," Lucy smiled coyly, entering with exaggerated steps. "Wow, they really stripped this place bare..."

The once cozy library had been made devoid of all the shelves. Nothing remained but the support pillars and the main desk, which had been affixed to the ground. Lucy felt a pang of sadness sweep through her. She had been so fond of this library growing up as it had provided a safe haven from her cold, empty home, but as the years passed and she aged, work and school kept her away from what was once one of her favourite places in the world, and soon, there would be nothing left of it but debris.

"Yeah, we needed to get rid of everything to avoid unnecessary damage," Jackal replied, standing next to her. Lucy jerked her head to the stairs. "Can we head up? I wanna check out my favourite spot."

"Yeah, sure."

"So tell me how this works, this whole...demolition thing," Lucy waved at the building. Jackal shrugged. "Simple, really. We just find the support structures at the base and load them up with explosives, then let gravity do the rest. It's like knocking a tree over."

"I've seen things where buildings kind of collapse down and not to the side, why not do that?"

"That's called a true implosion, and is ridiculously difficult to do. Only a handful of companies I know do it, mine ain't one of 'em," Jackal shot her a broad grin. "But believe you me, I'm capable of it."

"I don't doubt you. Oh! Here we are..." Lucy ran her fingers over the wide ledge of the window, imagining the original design of it. "There used to be a bright purple bedding type thing here. I used to just curl up with a really good book until I fell asleep, and then either Laxus, Erik, or Natsu would come get me."

"You used to come here often?" Jackal perched himself on the now hard edge, patting the spot next to him. Lucy sat down, flickering her eyes across the surprisingly large expanse of the room. She could almost see the original layout, pinpoint the exact spots of all the shelves and round tables.

"Every day. Better than the library I had at home," Jackal gaped at her. "A library at home? Jesus. And you came here? I helped take this place apart when the plan was originally proposed, it wasn't too impressive, no offense."

"This place was like a second home to me, you know? The library at home was full of books, but...those books were just meant to drill in more repetitive knowledge. Business, history, etiquette...nothing that sparked an interest in me. Then I came here, and..." the blonde pointed to a spot before them, where the outline for the base of a shelf could clearly be seen. "That right there was where all the psychology books were held. And this ledge right here was where I decided to become a psychologist instead of a businesswoman."

Silence followed her statement. Lucy continued to stare at the area where the shelf was while she let Jackal gather his thoughts. Had she been too depressing? What if she had freaked him out by her sudden turn of tone? Worried, she remained silent throughout her panic. It was so like her to chase away someone with her stories.

"I'm sorry," Jackal finally said. "That I'm tearing this place down. It means a lot to you."

"It's okay," she patted the back of his clenched hand. "It's been years, anyway. And it's your job."

"Still," he mumbled. Guilt flashed through her chest. She hadn't meant to make him feel bad. Rather, she wanted to help him understand her need to revisit the place before it blew. She supposed that was another thing to add to her collection of thoughts on him.

"Well," Lucy declared, ready to divert from the morose atmosphere. "I say we head out so you can set up shop! I'd like to stay for the explosion, if you wouldn't mind?"

"Implosion," he corrected, but smiled nonetheless. "Yeah, sure. We got some time, you up for late lunch? There's a diner down the street-"

"Ruby's," Lucy finished his sentence with a fond smile. "I used to have their signature sandwiches every Friday with a cup of coffee."

"Then let's get going!" he rose and dusted off his pants.

* * *

"I'll order for you, if you order for me," Jackal proposed, much to Lucy's surprise. "You used to come here often, and I currently come here often, so let's see how our taste buds fare, shall we?"

"Agreed," Lucy nodded as the waitress strode over. She smiled politely and introduced herself as Jane as she placed two glasses of chilled water before them.

"He will have the signature sandwich and vanilla cafe mocha," Lucy said.

"And she will have your chili and triple shot espresso," he leaned back in his seat with a smug grin. Lucy winced. She hadn't had a triple shot espresso since her university days and wasn't entirely sure she'd not go off her rocker with the caffeine boost.

Jane giggled. "Oh, I love it when couples order for each other! It's so cute. I'll be right back with your stuff, dearie!"

"We're not a couple!" Lucy called after her in a futile effort. Jackal snickered. "Oh? I'm hurt, wifey! After all these years and our passionate wedding vows? You wound me."

"I don't see a ring," Lucy waved her hand in the air. "Invalid."

"Ouch," Jackal deadpanned. "Like you need a ring to be married."

That was interesting. He had taken it seriously. Lucy recognized this tone well. It meant this was personal. It was likely, then, that Jackal's parents hadn't been married, yet they raised him together. Either that or someone close to him. She filed that away for later.

"Signature sandwich and mocha for you," Jane slid back quickly, placing the gigantic meal before Jackal, whose mouth had fallen open. "And the chili for you. Enjoy!"

"You ate one of these monstrosities a week?" he finally sputtered out. His eyes roved over her frame once more. "B-but you're so tiny! How? This isn't...possible! What kind of witchcraft?"

"I once ate five plates at a buffet and lost six pounds," Lucy nodded seriously. "Also, as for the figure thing...I was captain of the track and field team. Ran every single day for four years."

"I once ate ten plates at a buffet and made Tempesta pay, and he got revenge by dying my hair green," Jackal said. Lucy nearly spat out her drink as the image of the blond before her with bright green hair in a faux-hawk was formed. "Pictures?"

"Hard copy at home," Jackal took a sip of the mocha and blanched. "This is way too sweet."

"And this is too strong," Lucy said slowly.

"Trade you," they both blurted at once. A trade was made, and soon, Lucy was sipping the sweet glory that was vanilla mocha latte. She moaned as the delicious, creamy liquid hit her throat and filled her with all things fluffy and nice. Jackal coughed into his drink, averting his eyes. "So...how's the chili?"

"I've yet to try it," Lucy scooped up a spoonful and stuck it in her mouth, moaning even louder. "This is literally sex in a bowl, holy shit."

Jackal's only response was to take a large bite out of his sandwich.

"Good?"

"I need more olives in this," Jackal muttered. "You can never have enough olives with pickles."

"Laxus is of the opposite opinion. I have never seen a grown man throw a bigger bitch fit when it comes to his pickles," Lucy said. Jackal rolled his eyes. "Baby. Honestly, pickles are God's food. Pickles are holy. They're like the embodiment of everything good in this world."

"Passionate," she commented.

"For pickles? Always," he replied. "Anyway, we should hurry. I need to meet up with the others to blow the place up."

* * *

"Stay here behind the perimeter line," Jackal instructed before leaving to set up the detonation equipment. Lucy waved him off, her hand falling to her phone. She had promised to call Cana after the date, and she supposed now was as good a time as ever.

 _"So did you fuck in the library?"_ leave it to Cana to start off the conversation with sex.

"No, idiot. We went there, I got a little sentimental, he felt sorry for blowing it up because I got sentimental, and then we went to Ruby's for late lunch," hoping to distract her from further questions about that incident, she hastily added, "You know he has a tattoo? So does Mard."

 _"Get the fuck out,"_ Cana gasped, _"Mira! Your boy's got ink! What of, do you know?"_

Lucy could hear the phone being put on speaker, and then said, "Jackal has an ouroboros, and Mard has this gigantic phoenix on his back. Hi, Mira."

 _"Oh my god, he's got a tattoo,"_ Mira said faintly. _"Oh, that is so...sexy..."_

 _"Give her a minute to get her panties back on,"_ Cana took over, _"Why those things?"_

"Mard's idea," Lucy but her lip. Should she tell them? Should she not? Telling them would only add to the teasing, but not telling them would only make life much harder when they found out after..."He's gonna take me to the guy who did his work to get my tattoo fixed."

Lucy yanked the phone away as two shrieks resounded. Honestly, those two could give a choir of helium-high twelve year old girls a run for their money.

 _"A third date? To get tattooed! Sound the wedding bells!"_ Mira giggled.

"You're one to talk. You and Mard have been on how many dates and you're still not dating?"

 _"That is an entirely separate issue. Point in, homeboy has got it bad for you. Honestly, I think you two would be great together,"_ Cana said with genuine hope. Lucy smiled. For all her raucous teasing, Cana really did look out for her.

"We just met, Cana, he's just being friendly."

 _"Is this Dr Heartfilia I'm talking to, or Lucy the loveless idiot?"_

"Dr Heartfilia. And I say he's just a naturally kind person. Besides, you've never even met him!"

 _"I say we remedy that situation. He's coming over on Saturday to help with your car, right? Bacchus and I will mysteriously pass by the neighbourhood and decide to say hi. Then, I'll wow him with my magic and give him a tarot reading while getting a judge of his character! Foolproof!"_

It wasn't common knowledge that Cana was a proficient tarot card reader. The brunette had picked up the skill back in the second grade and had mastered it ever since. Eerily enough, in the fifteen years she had been practicing, Cana had never been wrong with her cards or judge of character.

"Fine. Now, let's discuss Mard and Mira. What is up with that?"

* * *

"Ready to see the building go boom?" Jackal asked with childish glee as he approached her nearly an hour later. Lucy grinned widely. "Why, of course! What did you use, C4?"

"Dynamite. We like that for concrete," he replied. "Made some holes, packed it full, and in ten seconds, this place will be nothing more than a pile of rubble."

Lucy couldn't hold back the look of pain at the words. Jackal winced apologetically. "S-sorry. That was insensitive."

"It's fine. Let's see this happen!" Jackal waved at the group of men by the other side, who nodded and clicked away at their keyboards. Lucy watched as his face lit up and he rubbed his hands together. "I can't do the detonation today, my turn was last time, so now it's up to Simon to do the job. Instead, we get front row seats."

He handed her a hard hat and large earmuffs, which she donned quickly. Next were the safety goggles, which she scowled at. The ridiculously bulky glasses brought back memories of highschool science class and attempting to wear the things over the glasses she had to put on then.

Lucy watched as Jackal mouthed the countdown, jerking slightly each time the number was announced. He honestly vibrated with joy, and once the loud explosion sounded, he threw his hands up in the air. His golden eyes were both alert and ecstatic.

"Isn't it amazing!" he yelled as he turned to face her. Lucy's breath caught as she saw his eyes fully. They reflected the sunlight beautifully, catching the varying shades and depths and flecks that made up the colour, and, widened by his joy, they were breathtaking. Combined with the heartstoppingly broad smile and the way his face seemed to light up, Lucy could honestly declare she'd never seen something so exquisite. "...engineering, huh?"

"Yeah," Lucy agreed to whatever he had said softly. "I agree."

Jackal laughed and rapped her hard hat twice. "You agree that you think this would turn you to engineering? Most would still say fuck no!"

Lucy blushed and looked away. "Stupid Jackal!"

As her new blond companion continued to explain the sheer genius behind the implosion, Lucy couldn't help but feel something akin to contentment settle within her. The same kind of content she had felt when curled up in the library he had just destroyed.

Interesting.

* * *

 **A/N:** Fluff is here, and now you know why Jackal is so...oddly moody. Sleep deprivation and insomnia is a bitch, and I can only relate all too well.

Review!

-Touko


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